Saturday, June 02, 2007

Prayer For Our Non-Catholic Brothers and Sisters (Especially Those Who Do Not Regard Us As Their Brothers and Sisters in Christ)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear Lord,

We come to You today, particularly on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Christ who do not regard us as brothers and sisters in Christ. We know that such disunity grieves the Holy Spirit and how scandalous it is to the observing world, since Your Son commanded us (His disciples) to be one as You and Your Son were one (John 17:11), and that this would cause the world to know that He was the Messiah and Son of God (John 17:21).

Please forgive them their errors in this regard; have mercy on them, and reveal to them the wickedness of Christian disunity. Help them to better understand that the Catholic Church is not what they think it is. Please forgive us, Father, our sins of language and lack of charity and cynicism and for unnecessarily striking back in anger or frustration, when responding to these brothers and sisters. Help us to be more compassionate and loving and gracious, as You are.

Lord, help us all to control our tongues and to have discernment and wisdom to know when humor or satire is proper and necessary (such as when Elijah mocked the false prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel or Your Son's criticisms of the Pharisees or Paul's sarcastic remarks about castration). Forgive us (through the blood of Jesus and Your Holy Spirit) our pride and arrogance and any haughtiness or triumphalism in our presentations of or defense of Catholic truths. Humor is Your gift to us also, but help us to sanctify it and to know when and where to utilize humor in the course of our proclamations and defenses of what we hold dear. We all often fall short in that, Lord. Help us to do better, with Your aid and guidance.

Bless these precious brethren abundantly, O Lord. Reward them for their zeal and desire to serve You and defend Christian truths. We thank You for the work these brothers in Christ do, that is very helpful and edifying, such as refuting the errors of theological liberalism, Mormonism, the radical homosexual movement, fighting for the right to life of preborn children,
against Islam and other errors, and so forth.

Help us, dear Father, to remember that many of us (especially Catholic converts) were also formerly blinded to many aspects of the Catholic Church. Like Paul, we persecuted and misrepresented that which we fought against, with great sincerity and correct motivation, but misguided and hurtful and divisive zeal. We sincerely believed that the Catholic Church was on the wrong side, and a promulgator of darkness and opposed to the gospel of grace. Help us remember that in our occasional exasperation over those who sadly believe the same things today. It is all by Your grace that any of us grasp any of Your truths.

We thank You that these brethren do care enough about truth to stand up and fight for what they believe in. Help them, Father, to see when they are blinded by various biases and environments, to hear when they listen to Catholic explanations, and to grasp what they presently do not comprehend.

Remove from all of us our blind spots, fallacies, errors, stubbornness, and pride. We ask that You bless our brothers and sisters who are most hostile to the Catholic Church (and all of our Christian brethren) with all good things: loyal, trustworthy friends, peace, happiness, freedom from sin and anxiety, the love of family, wisdom, discernment, effectiveness of witness and outreach when they are preaching Your truths, and all other blessed, edifying things.

Help us to remember that Your Son was accused of being demon-possessed, and that Your apostle Paul was persecuted for simply telling the truth. Help us to rejoice when all manner of falsehood is spoken against us, and to never fall into the same error regarding our critics and "enemies".

We pray, Lord, that all Christians can better seek to understand each other, pray for each other, rejoice in the many things we share, and to respectfully discuss those areas where we have honest, sincere disagreements. Don't let any of us fall into the sin of indifference, whereby we no longer think some Christian truth that You have revealed to us is not important enough to defend or to be mocked for holding.

Father, we fervently pray for Christian unity. As Catholics, we believe that our Church is the One True Church that You established. But we understand that not all who are not formally a member of the Catholic Church, are (for many reasons) necessarily deprived of Your grace, or fellowship with You, or of the many endowments of the Holy Spirit and knowledge of truths of Christianity. Quite the contrary. Your grace is not confined to institutional structures (however true or necessary those structures may be, in and of themselves).

Thank You for these brethren, Lord, and all of the many important contributions that they bring to the Body of Christ. We praise You especially for the sacraments of baptism and marriage, shared by these brethren with us.

Thank You for their zeal, their fire and witness, love of the Bible and prayer and fellowship; for their fervent worship and desire to make Your Son Jesus Lord of all of life, for their zeal and commitment to evangelism of the lost, and for their stance on traditional morality, and against the spirit of the age. Thank You for our pro-life separated brethren in Christ. We know that in many ways these brethren put us Catholics to shame. They have so much to teach us, in how to be day-to-day committed disciples of Your Son.

May we learn in these many ways from their praiseworthy examples, and the true and beneficial aspects of these various non-Catholic Christian traditions and ways of life, and we ask that we may also be good witnesses of the Catholic tradition, so that they may see some good thing in us and on our Church as well, by Your entirely undeserved mercy and grace.

Again, I ask for Your blessing, especially on our most hostile brothers and sisters in Christ, who know not what they do, in criticizing the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Guide and protect them from evil and falsehood, Lord. Lead those who want to follow You, into the fullness of Your paths of truth and righteousness, for Your name's sake (Psalm 23:3), whether it is within the formal boundaries of the Catholic Church or not.

We know that these brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus are sincere and honest and believe what they do with all the passion and commitment that we bring to our own heartfelt doctrinal beliefs. Show all of us what is right and wrong, and true and false. Help us to appreciate each other and to pray for one another, and to (particularly) pray for those who may speak all manner of evil against us, and even to rejoice that they do, and not to return insult with insult (Matthew 5:11-12).

Be with all of us, Lord. We are Your people; miserable and divided and compromised and sinful though we may be. Guide our very footsteps, that we may not slip and fall (Psalm 17:5). Set us upon Your rock (Psalm 27:5). Don't let us fall into the great sin of divisiveness and discord against our brethren in Christ. Help us to guard ourselves, by Your grace, so that deadly poison may not proceed from our tongues (James 3:8). Help us to maintain pure thoughts (Philippians 4:8), and to love everyone around us, as Your Son loved us (John 15:12), lest we be mere clanging cymbals (1 Cor 13:1) or whitewashed tombs (Matthew 23:27).

Especially, we ask that You be with our separated brethren, Lord, and guide them; especially those who think we are not their brothers in Christ. Bless them, reward them for their devotion to You, and have mercy on us.

In Jesus' precious and glorious name, and by the grace made possible by His shed blood on the cross on our behalf; Amen.

--- Marcus Grodi (director of The Coming Home Network, and host of the EWTN television show: The Journey Home)

I highly recommend his work, A Biblical Defense of Catholicism, which I find to be thoroughly orthodox, well-written, and effective for the purpose of making Catholic truth more understandable and accessible to the public at large.

God bless you in your indefatigable labors on behalf of the Faith! Only God knows how many lives your efforts have touched with the truth. . . . God bless you and give you joy and strength in persevering in your important ministry.

There is someone out there who says what I have to say much better than I ever could -- the smartest Catholic apologist I know of -- Dave Armstrong.

--- Amy Welborn (Catholic author and blogmaster)

I love your books, love your site, love everything you do. God bless you in your work. I'm very grateful for all you've done, and for all you make available. If someone pitches a hard question at me, I go first to your site. Then I send the questioner directly to the page that best answers the question. I know it's going to be on your site.

--- Mike Aquilina (Catholic apologist and author of several books)

People regularly tell me how much they appreciate your work. This new book sounds very useful. Your website is incredible and I recommend it regularly to new Catholics.

--- Al Kresta (Host of Kresta in the Afternoon [EWTN], author of Why Do Catholics Genuflect? and other books)

Dave Armstrong's book A Biblical Defense of Catholicism was one of the first Catholic apologetics books that I read when I was exploring Catholicism. Ever since then, I have continued to appreciate how he articulates the Catholic Faith through his blog and books. I still visit his site when I need a great quote or clarification regarding anything . . . Dave is one of the best cyber-apologists out there.--- Dr. Taylor Marshall (apologist and author of The Crucified Rabbi)

I love how Dave makes so much use of the Scriptures in his arguments, showing that the Bible is fully compatible with Catholicism, even more plausibly so than it is with Protestantism.. . . Dave is the hardest working Catholic apologist I know. He is an inspiration to me.

--- Devin Rose (apologist and author of The Protestant's Dilemma, 28 May 2012 and 30 Aug. 2013)Dave Armstrong['s] website is an amazing treasure trove representing hours–yea a lifetime of material gathered to defend Catholic doctrine. Over the years Dave has gathered the evidence for Catholic teaching from just about every source imaginable. He has the strength not only to understand the Catholic faith, but to understand the subtleties and arguments of his Protestant opponents.--- Fr. Dwight Longenecker (author and prominent blogmaster, 6-29-12)

You are a very friendly adversary who really does try to do all things with gentleness and respect. For this I praise God.--- Nathan Rinne (Lutheran apologist [LC-MS] )

You are one of the most thoughtful and careful apologists out there.

Dave, I disagree with you a lot, but you're honorable and gentlemanly, and you really care about truth. Also, I often learn from you, even with regard to my own field. [1-7-14]

--- Dr. Edwin W. Tait (Anglican Church historian)

Dave Armstrong writes me really nice letters when I ask questions. . . . Really, his notes to me are always first class and very respectful and helpful. . . . Dave Armstrong has continued to answer my questions in respectful and helpful ways. I thank the Lord for him.

--- The late Michael Spencer (evangelical Protestant), aka "The Internet Monk", on the Boar's Head Tavern site, 27 and 29 September 2007

Dave Armstrong is a former Protestant Catholic who is in fact blessedly free of the kind of "any enemy of Protestantism is a friend of mine" coalition-building . . . he's pro-Catholic (naturally) without being anti-Protestant (or anti-Orthodox, for that matter).

---"CPA": Lutheran professor of history [seehis site]: unsolicited remarks of 12 July 2005

I am reading your stuff since I think it is the most thorough and perhaps the best defense of Catholicism out there . . . Dave has been nothing but respectful and kind to me. He has shown me great respect despite knowing full well that I disagree with him on the essential issues.

Dave has been a full-time apologist for years. He’s done much good for thousands of people.

You have a lot of good things to say, and you're industrious. Your content often is great. You've done yeoman work over the decades, and many more people [should] profit from your writing. They need what you have to say.--- Karl Keating (founder and director of Catholic Answers, the largest Catholic apologetics organization in the world; 5 Sep. 2013 and 1 Jan. 2015)

Whether one agrees with Dave's take on everything or not, everyone should take it quite seriously, because he presents his arguments formidably.

I like the way you present your stuff Dave ... 99% of the time.--- Protestant Dave Scott, 4-22-14 on my personal Facebook page.

Who is this Dave Armstrong? What is he really like? Well, he is affable, gentle, sweet, easily pleased, very appreciative, and affectionate . . . I was totally unprepared for the real guy. He's a teddy bear, cuddly and sweet. Doesn't interrupt, sits quietly and respectfully as his wife and/or another woman speaks at length. Doesn't dominate the conversation. Just pleasantly, cheerfully enjoys whatever is going on about him at the moment and lovingly affirms those in his presence. Most of the time he has a relaxed, sweet smile.

--- Becky Mayhew (Catholic), 9 May 2009, on the Coming Home Network Forum, after meeting me in person.

Every so often, I recommend great apostolates, websites, etc. And I am very careful to recommend only the very best that are entirely Catholic and in union with the Church. Dave Armstrong’s Biblical Evidence for Catholicism site is one of those. It is a veritable treasure chest of information. Dave is thorough in his research, relentlessly orthodox, and very easy to read.

Discussions with you are always a pleasure, agreeing or disagreeing; that is a rarity these days.

--- David Hemlock (Eastern Orthodox Christian), 4 November 2014.

What I've appreciated, Dave, is that you can both dish out and take argumentative points without taking things personally. Very few people can do that on the Internet. I appreciate hard-hitting debate that isn't taken personally.

--- Dr. Lydia McGrew (Anglican), 12 November 2014.

Dave Armstrong is a friend of mine with whom I've had many discussions. He is a prolific Catholic writer and apologist. If you want to know what the Catholic Church really believes, Dave is a good choice. Dave and I have our disagreements, but I'll put my arm around him and consider him a brother. There is too much dishonesty among all sides in stating what the "other side" believes. I'll respect someone who states fairly what the other believes.

Recommended Catholic Apologetics Links and Icons

Protestantism: Critical Reflections of an Ecumenical Catholic

Orthodoxy & Citation Permission

To the best of my knowledge, all of my theological writing is "orthodox" and not contrary to the official dogmatic and magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church. In the event of any (unintentional) doctrinal or moral error on my part having been undeniably demonstrated to be contrary to the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church, I will gladly and wholeheartedly submit to the authority and wisdom of the Church (Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Timothy 3:15).

All material contained herein is written by Dave Armstrong (all rights reserved) unless otherwise noted. Please retain full copyright, URL, and author information when downloading and/or forwarding this material to others. This information is intended for educational, spiritual enrichment, recreational, non-profitpurposes only, and is not to be exchanged for monetary compensation under any circumstances (Exodus 20:15-16).